Anyone with an iPhone knows that when you google a company, the number that comes up at the top is (most of the time) the phone number you're looking for. Therefore, when my brand new iPad 4 crashed this weekend and I googled "Apple Tech Support, " I was so frustrated with the iPad that I pressed the first number I saw, since it said underneath "Apple. Techsupport.com." When I called this number, 877-923-7154, they answered and said "tech support, how may I help you today?" Not thinking anything of it, I told them my issue, and they told me they could help me if I paid a $250 technical support fee. Frustrated, I hung up, and my mother called back and spoke to a different representative. She argued with this "technician" for over two hours about the fact that we have an extended two year warranty through Apple, and that because this iPad is three months old, the support should be covered. This man told her that my warranty does not cover software issues, only hardware issues. My mom told them that it was their iOS update that crashed the iPad (which is exactly what happened) and they told her that it was a virus on my iPad. She then asked if she could have the manufacturors phone number, and right away this man redirected her call to the "rewards program" where they tried to give her a 100 dollar restaurant discount card. She told them no, she wanted to speak to a tech again. So put on hold for another half an hour or so, she finally gets put through to a man who tells her that it was a virus on my iPad that could have crashed at any time, and told her that it just happened to do so when we downloaded THEIR update. She finally agreed to pay the $250 year of support package, and put me on the phone with the tech. Once on the phone with the tech, he tells me that I need to pay an additional 99.99 dollars to download this "antivirus" software so that he could help me through my computer. He also told me that this would be given back to me in the form of a rebate in three months. My mom gave them the information to charge that to the account as well. Another hour later, when this tech can't fix my iPad through the computer, he tells me to take it to an Apple store. The next day I take it to the Apple store. I have never been to an Apple store before, because I have never had a problem with my iPhone. I walked in and the girl asked me if I needed help. I told her I was there to fix my iPad, and she asked me if I had an appointment. I got angry and told her I knew it wasn't her fault, but that I had been on the phone with Apple for four hours the previous day, paid 350 dollars for tech support, and the tech never told me I needed an appointment. She was extremely confused and could not understand why I would pay $350 for tech support. That conversation never went any further. A boy tried to restore my iPad and told me that it was a hardware issue and that I would have to have the iPad replaced. Problem solved, right? Well no, I'm sitting there thinking, I want my $350 dollars back, because this was a hardware issue, which is covered under my warranty and I never needed this technical support. So I go home, and I call the number again, and I tell them the situation about the day before, and I tell them about going to the Apple store, and I tell them that I want my money back. This whole time, I'm under the impression I'm speaking to Apple, and not once did the man I spoke to tell me that he was not Apple. Eventually, we figured it out that we were not speaking to Apple, and called a few more times to ask these people if they were Apple. The first few times we called, they said yes, they were Apple. Once they caught on that we knew their game, they started changing their answers and going in circles with what they were saying. Soon it changed to no, we are not Apple, but our techs are Apple certified and we are affiliated with Apple. Then, by the last phone call, it was "No ma'am, this is Techzilla." I have it recorded that they claimed they are associated with Apple and Apple knows they are doing this. I also called Apple, and they have no idea who these people are and they are not affiliated with Apple. My brother called them from his cell phone, in which he soon got a call BACK from them.in the voicemail they left, they're trying to sell him Direct TV! So anyway, we call this company back, and as we are recording the conversation, my mom tells them that she wants her money back. After about twenty minutes of the run-around once again, the man tells her to call back tomorrow morning and ask for the billing department because they aren't in today. After previously telling her they are going to guarantee she gets her money back, he proceeds to tell her that there is a "disclaimer" that should have been read to her that states each charge she was charged with also is accompanied by a fifty dollar service fee. So basically, she would be paying $450 dollars. She told him she doesn't really care and wants her money back, and he told her he can't guarantee that billing will give it back to her. I'm sorry, didn't you just say that you guarantee her money back?
I have these calls recorded. I have reported these people to two news stations in the Philadelphia area, and I will be calling the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the morning and reporting them.
Can you imagine how many people had their issue resolved and have no clue they're being ripped off right now? It makes me physically ill that people can live with themselves when they do this to other people.
Here's something fun for you to try: Google "Direct TV tech support" or "HP tech support" and see what comes up. If they're a real company, why is their number always changing when you search? And why do they call themselves "Salespeople, " not technicians?
I want this shut down, and I will not stop until it is.
0 comments